Carbon storage was compared between two perennial biomass energy systems, namely switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and short-rotation willow Salix alba x glaffelteri L.) at 2 adjacent sites, and further compared with a corn cultivation, a 20-year-old abandoned field, and a mature hardwood forest, in southwestern Quebec. Aboveground carbon results indicated that switchgrass and corn had significantly greater carbon levels than willow at the less fertile site, but no significant differences were detected at the more fertile site. Root carbon results indicated that corn had significantly lower carbon levels than both perennial systems to a depth of 30 cm at both sites. However, switchgrass had significantly greater root carbon levels beyond 30 cm compared with willow and corn, and beyond 45 cm compared with the forest and abandoned field. These findings indicate that deep-rooted perennial grasses such as switchgrass have the potential to sequester carbon at deeper soil layers. Soil carbon results showed that at the more fertile site, willow was associated with significantly greater soil carbon levels than switchgrass. Moreover, both perennial crops had soil carbon levels that were greater than for corn, the abandoned field, and the forest. In contrast, at the less fertile site, no significant differences in soil carbon were detected between the various plant systems examined. The results of this study suggest that the perennial energy crops used, when grown on relatively fertile soils, have the potential to substantially increase soil carbon levels compared with conventional agricultural and/or forest systems. Consequently, when these crops are grown on less fertile soils, their added advantage of increasing carbon storage is lost.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.20614 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Zan, Claudia. |
| Contributors | Fyles, James W. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Natural Resource Sciences.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001641746, proquestno: MQ44325, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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